Tag Archives: eat

And to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’

Cursed is the ground on account of you;in hard labor you will eat of itall the days of your life.Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you,and you will eat the plants of the field.By the sweat of your faceyou will eat breaduntil you return to the ground,because out of it you were taken;for you are dust,and to dust you will return” – Genesis 3:17-19

I’m sure many of us have listened to someone against our better judgment and regretted it. Adam listened to Eve who encouraged him to eat the fruit which both of them were forbidden to eat. God had told them that if they ate it they would surely die. There were no ifs, ands or buts. The consequences for disobeying Him would cost them their lives and more.

Adam knew where Eve got the fruit from. She had taken a bit and was giving it to him. She must have told him what the serpent had said. And the fact that she was still alive may have persuaded Adam that eating the fruit was not a bad thing to do. God had said that they would die if they ate it but Eve wasn’t dead. She was there before him, her eyes sparkling and her face flushed. She looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her. The serpent must be right. There was no harm in eating the fruit. So, he took it from her and ate it. The moment he tasted the fruit, things changed.

Why do we tend to listen to other people instead of God? His Word is there to guide us, to keep us safe yet we tend to listen to and follow bad advice. And we place our love for our spouses and children above our love to God. The Bible says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” We show God we love Him when we obey Him even when we are pressured or tempted to do otherwise. Our loved ones may try to get us to do something that is contrary to God’s will but we have a choice to make. We can choose to listen to God or listen to them. No one can force us to do anything. Eve didn’t force Adam to disobey God. He chose to do so. And the consequences of that choice were far-reaching and as a result sin, suffering, death came into the world and their relationship with God and each other changed. The family dynamics changed. The husband became the head of the home and the wife was to be subject to him. Childbirth was not meant to be a painful experience but it is and working for a living was not supposed to be hard but it is. And we were not supposed to experience death but we all will. Our choices can affect not only us but others too. God knew what tragedies disobedience would bring to Adam and Eve and the world if they didn’t listen to Him.

Today, choose to listen to God. Don’t let anyone persuade you to do anything that would draw you away from God. Let your spiritual walk be such that when God comes looking for you and calls out, “Where are you?” you can show yourself and say, “Here I am, Lord.”

When your child comes to you and says, “I’m hungry,” you stop whatever you are doing and you find something for him or her to eat. Sadly, children in South Asia are crying out, “I’m so hungry, but there’s no food. Not even in the garbage.” For many of them hunger, poverty and mistreatment have become a way of life. No child should go without food or face a future without hope. Thankfully, God has heard their cries and has provided help and hope through Gospel of Asia’s Bridge of Hope program.

Parents across Asia struggle to provide for their families. Children grow up illiterate, uneducated and taught they are worthless. More than 20 million boys and girls are trapped in social evils like child labor and prostitution in order to support their family.

Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope turns these situations around for good. Children are educated and nurtured. Families experience Christ’s love. More than 60,000 children have been helped so far and thousands of families have found faith in Christ as a result.

I encourage you to take a few moments and watch the Bridge of Hope video and see how children across Asia are being rescued. Find out more about the program at http://www.gfa.org/sponsorachild/

You too can make a difference. You can give hope to a child and enable Jesus Christ’s love to reach a family in Asia. You can bring hope to those in despair and help to those in need. Sponsor a child today so that he or she could have a bright future and experience the love of Jesus. May God bless you as you help these children.

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly – John 10:10

What is stress? For some it is trying to prioritise the many projects they have undertaken and making decisions. For others it is moving to another apartment; raising a family; going for a job interview; meeting their future in-laws. Stress is knowing that the deadline for an article is fast approaching and you just can’t seem to find the time to sit down and write it. Stress is having to wait another 15 minutes for a bus because the first driver did not stop even though he saw you dashing across the street, your arms flailing.

Then there is good stress like having a child; getting married or getting that promotion you always wanted. These are stressful because they are big chances. For each there are greater responsibilities and a lot of adjustments to make.

Stress can result from an overactive imagination. Take Susan for example. She invited her boyfriend for lunch for the first time. She worried that she wouldn’t get home from church in time to prepare the meal. She worried that he wouldn’t get a parking space. She worried that he wouldn’t be able to eat chicken or turkey because she wasn’t sure if he was a vegetarian. She worried that she would be so nervous that she would spill or break something. Well, her boyfriend got a parking space as soon as he arrived. Not only did he eat the chicken and the turkey but he had seconds. Lunch went very well. The only setback was that it was not long enough. Susan had allowed herself to get stressed out because she imagined the worst. Stress robs us of a peace of mind and rest.

Many of us have spent sleepless nights because of stress. We lie awake worrying about that presentation we have to make to very important clients; a job interview or final exams. A lot of times stress is self-induced. We worry and fret unnecessarily and only succeed in giving ourselves high blood pressure.

How do we cope with stress? Taking time out is always a good idea and doing something else such as going for walks in the neighbourhood or in the park. Around this time of year it is especially nice because of the changing colours of the leaves and the air is fresh. Fresh air helps to clear the mind. Exercise is another option. Walk off the stress on the treadmill or pump it out of your system as you lift weights. Read a book or flip through a magazine. Pick up the phone and call a friend. It helps to talk to someone.

I guess I was thinking about it because I have a very bad habit of going to bed late at night and struggling to get up early in the morning. Sometimes I feel as if I am sleepwalking. I am so tired. I keep promising myself that I will turn in early but I end up going on the computer and spend hours on it (another habit I need to break). For someone who loves sleep I am just not getting enough of it.

What happens when we get enough sleep?

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.

Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.

Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.

Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.

A new study, derived from novel sleep research conducted by University of California, San Diego researchers 14 years earlier, suggests that the secret to a long life may come with just enough sleep. Less than five hours a night is probably not enough; eight hours is probably too much. Read more. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100930161837.htm.

I generally try not to eat late but there are times when we get home after seven and have to prepare dinner and eat after 9. Then we turn in around mid-night. And then we have to get up at 5:30 to get ready for work. This schedule is not only affecting our sleep but our weight. We have to stop this vicious cycle and start making changes.

Growing up I used to get more sleep and I felt great! I was full of energy and more active. Now I am tired and don’t feel like doing much. And I get irritable. There’s a solution to all of this. Go to bed early. Make sure I finish eating dinner and snacks 3 to 4 hours before I call it a night.

Ladies, let’s make an effort to get our beauty rest. Our weight, health and overall well-being depend on it.